So, you're broke. What else is new?

Maybe you've just started college, or perhaps you're working in a job where the pay hasn't caught up to your lifestyle yet. The key point is, when you open your purse, there's a shortfall there.

There are some items where you can cut back without too many problems. High-end makeup can be substituted for drugstore options, to little or no effect on the result. You can spend your nights eating noodles and convincing yourself the little flavoring packet is all you need for good taste. Clothes can be thrifted - and you can even earn yourself a little credit if you describe them as vintage.

Then one night, you're getting ready to go out, and your blow dryer gives up the ghost. A quick look online shows a cheap, eastern reproduction of the product that you want. You know it's a knockoff, but it'll probably do as good a job, and it's all you can afford right now. So what's the harm?

Well, nothing apart from the fact it can blow up and kill you.

Reproductions Are Not Safe

Some people assume that preventing knockoffs are only illegal because of the financial harm it does to the company of origin. And yes, there's some truth in that. However, when it comes to electrical items, there is a huge safety issue with counterfeit products.

They aren't made to the same standards, to begin with. Then when they're complete, they don't go through the same levels of safety testing. Taking the above example, nearly 1,000 people are seriously injured every year by blow dryers. Some of those aren't even while they're in use, but when they trigger fires just from being plugged in. ​

If It's Electrical, It's A No-Go

If you want buy counterfeit clothing, it's your choice. You shouldn't, for all kinds of reasons, but it's your decision and won't have any health risks. It doesn't matter if it's a curling wand, straightening irons, a facial cleansing system or just heated eyelash curlers. If it involves being plugged into the mains electricity, stay away from it! ​

Yes, Genuine Products Are More Expensive…

... but can you afford to take the risk? It might seem worth it to have the must-have gadget, but these are real problems that can harm you and the people you live with. Surely it's worth shelling out a little more to purchase genuine Clarisonic sets or the latest GHD stylers for their safety alone?

If the Safety Isn't Convincing You, Then The Efficacy Might

Say you find a product that you like and you're willing to run the risk with a counterfeit version of it. There is absolutely no guarantee it is going to work as it should. It might be inefficient, or it might die on you after one use. You have no recourse, no grounds for a refund or complaint - you bought it, so you suffer the consequences. That also means you end up paying twice; once for the original, and then to replace it.

Whichever way you look at it, when it comes to electrical beauty products, it's just not worth it.